WEEK IN RELIGIONThe top court of Europe recently ruled that workers can be banned from wearing religious symbols while at work. The European Court of Justice ruled on a case of a woman who alleged that she was fired from her job as a receptionist at a security company in Belgium due to religious discrimination for wearing her hijab. The court ruled that the company did not discriminate against the woman. “An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination,” the court said in a statement. The case addressed alleged Muslim discrimination, specifically, but the ruling also affects all other religions as well. In reference to the security company, the court said, “The rule thus treats all employees to the undertaking in the same way, notably by requiring them, generally and without any differentiation, to dress neutrally.” The court said as long as a company bans all religious symbols, there is no religious discrimination.— More Content Now

SURVEY SAYSMajority of Evangelicals disapprove of women pastorsAccording to a new study conducted by the Barna Group, most Christian groups did not have a problem with women serving in leadership roles, but only 39 percent of Evangelicals approved of women serving in leadership roles. Researchers found that 71 percent of Protestants, 80 percent of Catholics and 62 percent of “practicing Christians” approved of women in leadership roles.— More Content Now

GOOD BOOK?“The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully” by Frank OstaseskiLife and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. “The Five Invitations” is an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life and how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves. As a renowned teacher of compassionate caregiving and the cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski has sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. In “The Five Invitations,” he distills the lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to transformation.— Flatiron Books

THE WORDget: Advanced degree of a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, much like a Ph.D.— ReligionStylebook.com